Africa’s 200m Record Holder, Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor will be eying her first victory in the Diamond League this season when she takes to the track on Saturday, May 26th, at the Prefontaine Classic, which holds in Eugene, Oregon in the United States.
In what is a stacked field, Okagbare-Ighoteguonor will lock horns in the 100m against the likes of Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Elaine Thompson, and Cote d’Ivoire’s duo of Murielle Ahoure and Marie Josee Ta Lou, the latter who is the current World Leader (WL) after she posted a time of 10.85s at the opening leg of the Diamond League which took place in Doha.
Equally, reigning World Champion in the blue riband event, Tori Bowie of the USA, will hope to put a spanner in the works of the Nigerian Record holder in the event, as flying Dutch woman, Dafne Schippers is also lurking, hoping to race back into reckoning after placing 6th (11.03s) in Doha.
It is worth noting that Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, Ta Lou, Ahoure and Thompson are the only athletes of the eight that would file out this weekend to have broken 11s this season, as the Nigerian ran a Season’s Best (SB) of 10.90s to place 2nd behind Ta Lou in Doha.
Okagbare-Ighoteguonor will not only be counting on her impeccable start to the season, she will also be inspired by the Hayward Field in Eugene has been a good hunting ground for her. She clocked a wind-aided 10.75s in 2013 to place 2nd behind Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and a legal 10.87s to place 4th in the same event in 2015.
